The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers graduate programs leading to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Pharmaceutical Sciences with concentrations in four distinct disciplines, which align with academic Divisions within the School.

The mission of the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics (DPET) is to optimize drug therapy through the generation, integration and translation of scientific information between the bench and the bedside, the patient and the population. The Division’s Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate program is critical to fulfilling this mission by developing scientists capable of conducting innovative and clinically-relevant translational research that integrates biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences, in both laboratory-based models and in humans.

This graduate program includes two curricular tracks based on previous experience of the applicant: clinical (e.g., Pharm.D., M.D.) or non-clinical. Graduates from both tracks have enjoyed an outstanding employment rate in academia, government, and the pharmaceutical industry. Areas of graduate coursework and research are listed below, and these are applied to therapeutic areas including cardiovascular disease, hepatology/GI/transplant, infectious disease/HIV, oncology/hematology, and pulmonary disease. You can learn more about our program by visiting our web site.

Areas of Graduate Research:

Drug metabolism and transport

Pharmacokinetics/dynamics and pharmacometrics

Pharmacogenomics and individualized therapy

Clinical research and experimental therapeutics

Mechanisms of drug toxicity

All admitted students will receive an annual stipend of $27,500, as of August 2014, in the form of a research assistantship. Students with a prior clinical doctorate degree (Pharm.D., M.D., or equivalent) are expected to complete the program's clinical experience requirement, provide professional service to the Division, and are eligible to receive a $5,000 per year stipend supplement.

The UNC Graduate School online application is the required means of submitting your application. The GRE is required for admission. Outstanding applicants may be eligible for a merit-based University or School fellowship. Thus, we strongly encourage applicants to apply no later than December 11 to be considered for a UNC Graduate School or UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy fellowship.